1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to antenna and feed line designs for radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) chip packages, and, more particularly, to chip packaging with integrated antennas or planar phased array designs with high performance antennas and their feed lines for millimeter-wave frequencies and above.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a wireless network, the connectivity and communication between devices is achieved through antennas attached to receivers or transmitters which radiate signals to/from other elements in the network. In radio communication systems, such as millimeter-wave radios, discrete components are usually assembled with low integration levels. These systems often employ expensive, bulky waveguides and package-level or board-level microstrip structures to interconnect semiconductors and their required transmitter or receiver antennas. Dimensions of these radio communication systems have become smaller, and the integration of antennas with their radio frequency (RF) front-end circuits has become more desirable.
For applications such as wireless USB, the operating distance is limited to about a meter; and a single antenna with about 7 dBi at 60 GHz will provide the necessary antenna gains. For distances as long as 10 meters (such as wireless video) or longer, point to point applications (such as radar) having antenna gains as high as 30 dBi, depending on the application, are required. High gain antennas for wireless video applications have a very narrow beam width; this makes aiming the antenna very difficult for consumers. Therefore, a radiation pattern steerable array (also a phased array) is needed. Phased arrays are widely used in military radars. However, packaging RF chips with integrated antennas or phase arrays is extremely difficult and very expensive due to expensive components and extensive labor.